Y is for Yethrin

Every culture near the sea has its myths and legends about what might dwell under the water. Tales of mermaids, sea monsters, lost cities, sunken ships laden with treasure, and the like can be heard in every dockside tavern. Meterra is no different; the taverns and shanties along the North Coast and in Everton itself are full of such stories, including stories of the shark-men, the Yethrin.

Except in Meterra, the stories are true.

The Yethrin are creatures that live beneath the waves. They are rarely seen by those on the surface, for which those men are grateful. When the Yethrin do rise to the surface, they do so for the hunt. And their prey is men.

Reliable reports on the Yethrin are rare, since most of those who see them end up dragged under the water to be drowned and devoured. But what is known is that they are humanoid in shape, with powerful legs and webbed feet and hands to allow them to travel quickly through the water. Their heads are a horrible combination of man and shark, with their eyes somewhat wider than on a man's face, and two rows of razor-sharp teeth in their wide mouths. Their skin is leathery-gray, and they must keep it wet at all times; they are never seen out of the water for longer than it takes to snatch their prey and drag them underwater.

Since it is only through the use of magic that men can descend deep beneath the waves and safely return to the surface, knowledge of the Yethrin in the deeps is scant, almost non-existent. It is believed by some scholars that they are intelligent enough to have developed a crude civilization of their own, although their vicious temperament and predatory instincts would prevent them from having large communities. However, there are whispers that some of the Yethrin have learned the use of magic.

In combat, the Yethrin are lightning-fast, striking from beneath the surface of the water with precision and surprise. They hunt in small packs, attacking small boats when they find them, and sometimes even larger ships that offer tempting targets. None have ever been captured alive, although they can be killed.

Here are the gaming statistics for old-school D&D players; newer players will be able to convert them easily enough.

FREQUENCY: Very rare (rare underwater)
NO. APPEARING: 2-8 (3-30 in lair)
ARMOR CLASS: 5 (8 if dry)
MOVE: 6" on land/24" in water
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: I, Y
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 (claw/claw/bite)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-4/3-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Surprise 1-5
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to fire
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low to Average
ALIGNMENT: Neutral (evil)
SIZE: M (up to 7' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
   Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: III/105+3/hp

Yethrin are often accompanied by 'tame' sharks (25%) or sea lions (25%), but never both together. These animals will obey simple commands, although they are impossible to command once a battle has begun. If there are more than 10 yethrin in a group, one of them will be a leader with 4 or 5 hit dice and doing +1 or 2 damage on all attacks. In a larger gathering, the strongest yethrin will lead; he will have a minimum of 6 hit dice and do +4 damage on all attacks. There is also a 10% chance that there is a spellcaster amongst a group of yethrin; this caster will have the abilities of a magic-user between 2nd and 5th level.

In combat, when striking from the sea they will have a 5 in 6 chance of surprising their target and gaining a free attack sequence before the target can react and respond. This makes them extraordinarily dangerous. However, if the target can spot them coming (rolling a 6 on the surprise roll), the target automatically gets initiative and can attack the yethrin before it can strike. Being of the water, fire holds no fear for yethrin; they can shrug off even magical fire such as fireballs without harm.